The Magical Number Seven Experiment

The Magical Number Seven Experiment was published in Psychological Review in 1956 by cognitive scientist George A. Miller of Princeton University’s Department of Psychology. Miller explored a convergence between the constraints of one-dimensional absolute judgment and the limits of short-term memory in the essay. In a one-dimensional absolute-judgment test, a person is presented with a series of stimuli that differ only in one dimension (for example, ten distinct tones that differ only in pitch) and reacts to each stimulus with a matching response (learned before). With up to five or six distinct stimuli, performance is nearly ideal, but it degrades as the number of various stimuli increases.

We live in a world where information is rising at an exponential rate. By not arranging information efficiently or removing some of it, we eventually reduce our capacity to execute vital activities for survival (navigation/earning revenue). That is why it is so beneficial to eliminate stuff, businesses, and services from your life that do not provide a good return on investment. This is consistent with the Pareto principle, which states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your investments. Do you have too many chores to complete in a day to be efficient? Is your team collaborating with too many tools? Do you have an overabundance of team members? Are you confusing your new staff by providing too much information?